Until My Last Breath
by Mage of Dragons
Summary: All his life, Numair has had power. What happens in the one moment he is powerless to do anyhting at all will haunt him forever. My take on the death of a Wildmage. AU Prequel to ONE WISH


_A/N: This was origanlly a songfic, untilI was tipped off by Roherwen that songfics aren't allowed anymore. Careful reading of the rules ensued, and it turns out, she's right. So thanks, Roherwen, for saving my butt. So,if you have the CD, or have ever heard the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence, insert the lyrics after each paragraph. It might actually make sense, since I used pretty much all of the lyrics. If you want a general idea of the song, look up Evanescence-Fallen (that's the name of the CD) on amazon or itunes. This pretty much is a one-shot, but I might continue, if people like it. I don't think so, though. There are way too many Daine/ Numair-dies-how-will-the-other-cope fics right now. But I just wrote one, so hey, whatever! My writing style is a LOT different than TP's. And since it's my first fic, constructive critisism is VERY welcome, but please no flames. I'm just starting out. _

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own, Daine, Numair, Alanna, or anyone else that may be mentioned in this fic. If I did, I'd be rich, famous, and really old right now. I am none of these things. The plot is entirely mine, though.

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Until My Last Breath-**

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A dark, feathery form plummeted to the ground at the edge of the battlefield. Numair Salmalin, Tortall's greatest mage, watched in horror as it hit the ground with a sickening "thwack". He wasn't aware of the anguished scream that tore from his lips. **_"No! Nooooooo! Nonono!"_** He yelled as he numbly ran across the tangled mess of bodies. The blood of both humans and Immortals pooled together, mixing on the ground, running so deeply that it soaked up through the soles of his shoes. Nearby a spidren twitched in its death throes, its liquid web running in a dark pool on the ground beneath it. Oblivious to the carnage around him, Numair ran to the dusky area where a bare, human body lay motionless. Kneeling down to battered form of his beloved, he held her to his chest. Her blood flowed freely from a gash that ran down the back of her head and neck. It stained his hands and the ground beneath them, but he did not care. The young woman was breathing, but only just. Numair could feel it, soft as a butterfly's wing, against his neck.

"**_Numair?" _**Daine's voice was no more than hoarse whisper. Her eyelids briefly flickered open. Her eyes, dull with pain, earnestly sought to focus on his face. "You came." She said softly, her voice tired and lifeless. The spark of life that had once existed was no longer there on her face, in her big, blue-green eyes. They had once been both stormy and soft at the same time, but now, Numair saw none of Diane in those eyes. The pupils were wide and dark, as if drawing her, and him, into the Black God's domain.  
_  
_Unbidden, a flood of anguished memories ravaged his crazed mind. Tears, like a torrent of rain, fell down his cheeks. They fell into Daine's smoky brown curls, glistening like diamonds in the twilight. Numair saw every day he had spent with his student, his friend, and his love, reflected in her eyes. He brushed a curl of hair from her damp forehead, pressing a pale finger to her lips. "Shh, love. It's all right. I'll call for Alanna," He saw a pleading look in her dull eyes.

"I don't want Alanna. I want you," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around him with a strength that surprised even her. Her eyes wavered, glistening with unshed tears. "Remember me. I'll wait for you."

"No. Daine." Numair's voice was choked. "We have to call Alanna. You have to get better." He buried his head in her hair. Sobs raked his body as he knelt in the dusk, oblivious to all that was around him. His robes were ripped and soiled, and blood flowed from cuts on his arms and legs, but he cared about nothing but his fallen lover.

"Numair. I have to go." He could feel her tears through his shirt. Her voice was weak, but still it held her love for him. "Promise me-promise that you'll keep going. Promise me that you'll keep on living without me. Jon needs you. Tortall needs you." She paused, overcome with sorrow. Weakly, she pulled back from him, her eyes meeting his. "Promise me, Numair." Her voice was oddly vehement.

"I-I promise Daine. Anything for you," he sobbed, pulling her to his chest once more. He rocked her back and forth, gently stroking her pale cheek with one finger_  
_

"I love you, Numair." She said simply, her voice ragged, before her eyes closed. Then the body of Veralidane Sarrasri, Wildmage of Tortall, went limp in Numair's arms. He held her body close to him, silently lamenting his love. He kissed the lifeless lips, amid the once pretty face that was now dirty and bloodstained, but felt no response, no returning passion. Only the feel of cold flesh lingered on his lips.

"I love you," the Black Robe mage choked, Daine's voice echoing in his mind, calling his name. "I love you, Daine." He lay there, tears falling onto his love's bare body, cradling her. All he could think that he wished himself dead, too, so that he could be with her. "I promised. I promised you, Daine," he whispered into her hair.

"I won't forget you, Daine. I love you…"

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_A/N: You're still here? Wow. Thanks for making it through that short little fic. I really appriciate it. Now, please tell me weather or not it was a total waste of your time. (I'm entirely serious.) R&R Please!_


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